On Tue, 15 Oct 1996 17:35:44 +0100, Chris Pearson wrote:
> My mother suffers from quite severe macular degeneration, and can do virtually everything
>except read.. which was a major part of her life. She recently heard on
>the television about an american invention which allowed someone in the
>UK to read using his peripheral vision.
I read about it in the Independent newspaper and the satisfied user
quoted was a British GP. The device was a headset with miniature TV
camera and twin LCD screens in front of the eyes similar to a "VR"
display. The article also implied that there was some sort of image
processing to improve contrast etc. The Independent's online edition
is only available to AOL users but the Times has the same story which
I found by searching the archive at http://www.the-times.co.uk
From the Times 18th Sep.96:
>A DOCTOR who had to give up work when he lost his sight is able to read
> again thanks to a high-tech device originally developed for the American
> space agency Nasa.
> Bob Thompson, from Hutton Buscel, near Scarborough, North Yorkshire,
> was forced to retire early after he developed macular degeneration,
> leaving him with peripheral vision only. The condition is common in older
> people.
> Dr Thompson was told about a device called LVES (low vision
> enhancement system), developed by Bob Massoff at the Wilmer Institute in
> Baltimore, and manufactured by Sight Line Incorporated. "It was amazing,
> as I could actually read a book for the first time for more than a year," he
> said.
> The device consists of three miniature television cameras mounted on a
> headband. A greatly magnified image is projected on to a mirror and directly
> into the eyes.
> "It can also be plugged directly into the television or video recorder so that I
> can watch those too," Dr Thompson said. The images are black and white,
> but he said that was a small price to pay.
> The system is powered by a battery pack or the mains. The eyes are
> covered by the headset, which looks rather like a virtual reality system. "My
> children think the equipment is great fun because you look like somebody
> out of Star Trek," he said.
> The equipment costs £3,300 in the United States. Adapting it for the
> different television system in Britain increased the cost to just over £4,500.
The people who produce the device have a Web site at:
http://www.wilmer.jhu.edu/low_vis/low_vis.htm
Dr David Evans
Cardiff
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